The fallout of a rigged lottery scheme perpetrated by the former director of security for Des Moines-based Multi-State Lottery Association continues in the form of a lawsuit from hundreds of thousands of people who want refunds for their losing tickets. [More]
lottery tickets
Man Scores $1K Lottery Prize, Immediately Buys More Tickets And Wins $10M
By 12.2.15
If you suddenly find yourself with $1,000 more than you had a few seconds ago, would you hold on tight to that newfound reward, or use some of it to try to gain even more lottery glory? A California man let it ride, buying more lottery tickets with his winnings, and his gamble paid off, to the tune of $10 million. [More]
Michigan Woman Goes Through Pile Of Old Mail, Finds Lottery Ticket Worth $1M
By 9.23.15
We know how it gets — the mail piles up, it’s filled with credit card offers, promotional post cards and other junk you’d rather avoid. But it’s worth taking a look through that stack of unwanted flotsam and jetsam once in awhile, as one Michigan woman who is now $1 million richer found out recently, after spotting a winning lottery ticket in her mail pile. [More]
Guy Who Chucked Winning Lottery Tickets Saved From Eternal Regret By Convenience Store Worker
By 8.5.15
We’ve all had that moment: something you need is suddenly missing — a receipt, a paycheck, your kid’s birth certificate — and a horrible thought strikes you — “Did I throw it out?!?” A Georgia man had the weight of certain lifelong regret sitting on his shoulders when he realized he’d chucked two lottery tickets worth $10,000, thinking they weren’t winners. [More]
Man Thinks Random Lottery Ticket Words Insulting His Hometown Are No Accident
By 5.8.15
New York’s current “Wheel of Fortune” branded instant lottery game seems pretty fun: you scratch off letters and reveal which are or aren’t on the game board. These words are supposed to be randomly generated, but one gambler is really upset at the state lottery after scratching off the words, “YOU/ELMIRA/TRASH.” You can probably guess where he lives. [More]
New Mexico Man Sues Over $500K Lottery Ticket Dubbed A Misprint By Officials
By 2.6.15
A New Mexico man who saw his champagne wishes and caviar dreams dashed by lottery authorities who said his winning ticket was actually a misprint is now suing, claiming he’s owed the $500,000 prize that appeared on his scratch card. [More]
“I Just Won $50,000” Is A Pretty Good Way To Talk Yourself Out Of A Speeding Ticket
By 2.28.14
“I’ve got to deliver this encryption key to super secret government operatives before aliens blow up the world” and “Seriously, I’m on my way to save puppies from a burning pet store” are pretty good excuses, but the truth worked great for one man caught speeding — he’d just won $50,000 in the lottery. [More]
Convenience Store Clerk’s Mistake Delivers $10M Lottery Jackpot To Lucky Customer
By 2.26.14
Ah, luck! That elusive phenomenon that money can’t buy and no one can ever count on to stick around. It shows up where it wants to, like in a simple mistake a convenience store worker made when selling a customer a scratch-off lottery ticket. That slip brought a $10 million jackpot to the lucky store patron’s doorstep. [More]
Oregon Bartender Tipped With A Lottery Ticket Wins $17,500
By 10.7.13
Having someone hand you a lottery ticket as your tip for serving drinks might usually be kind of a bummer because the odds are that ticket is worthless. Unless it isn’t, and then it’s pretty darn exciting. An Oregon bartender who said one of her customers regularly gives her unplayed Keno tickets as tips lucked out to the tune of $17,500. That’s a mighty fine tip. [More]
Study: The Poorer You Feel, The More Lottery Tickets You Buy
By 9.27.08
Very Short List notes that “America’s lotto kiosks are currently reporting heretofore unheard-of earnings,” despite the average rate of return—53%—being less than slot machines. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon recently completed a study in which they primed people to feel relatively poor, then offered them a chance to buy lottery tickets, and the results suggest that the poorer you feel, the more likely you’ll waste your money on a lottery.
